One of Bruce’s favorite quotes is, “I came, I saw, I conquered.” by Julius Caesar. Bruce started his practice with nothing, built up his business and then had to start over again due to the bad behavior of one of his trusted staff members. This significant misfortune resulted in Bruce losing his home. In spite of that experience, he moved forward focusing on his professional goal of putting his patients first while providing great care. His resolve to be a success earned him the distinction of being named one of the best Cosmetic Dentists in Scottsdale by ThreeBestRated.com which is a very noteworthy achievement and honor.

The three biggest things that impress me the most about Bruce are:

His tenacious choice to maintain his sense of humor no matter what.

His ability to continue to audaciously take risks in spite of a few bad breaks.

His ability to keep focusing on service before profit.

In a nutshell….

I have watched Bruce and his new wife Colleen continue to put their best foot forward to grow their business with a sense of humor and purpose. I feel Bruce is an excellent example of someone who does not give up and continues to achieve an admirable work life balance.

Bruce took a few minutes out to answer the five Art of Fearlessly Doing Business Questions. You may be surprised to hear that Bruce believes that service comes before profit.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM BRUCE ABOUT BEING FEARLESS?

1.) Work to Live. Do Not Live to Work.

Bruce knew at an early age that he did not want to work to live. He had watched his dad work 60+ hours a week and he knew he did not want that lifestyle. He certainly excelled as a young man entering college at the age of sixteen but he was always very aware that he needed to not become a workaholic Doctor. He wanted to have time to be with friends and family. He chose dentistry over other medical professions because he knew that he needed work life balance. I have known Bruce and his wife, Colleen, for over a year now and admire how they embrace hard work while enjoying their life. They have mastered that sacred balance.

2.) Failure is Not an Option

When I asked Bruce about what his first big fear was he joked and said, “What fears didn’t I have?” and then he went on to say, “I had nothing to lose!” For those of us who started young and have had to start over again, appreciate this dichotomy. When you are young you are fearless in part because you have not had the severe consequences that a humiliating costly public failure can bring. You assume those types of experiences are for other people and not part of your world. Failing is not on the radar really. At the same time, you are a realist deep down and know that your young face, and in Bruce’s case braces, are hard for older people to look past. So you are afraid of everything and nothing all at the same time. Ultimately, the thing that drove Bruce initially and then again after he had the chance to feel the sting of a few bad experiences, is that failure was not an option. He mentions that fact several times in our interview. He educated himself and he has worked hard. He has taken big risks and had to start over. For him, there is no other choice. Failure is simply not an option.

3.) Start Over

One of the biggest things that impressed me about Bruce is his uncanny ability to maintain his sense of humor in the midst of stress. Those of us who know Bruce know that he is always trying to find the humor in every situation. He likes to laugh and he likes to make others laugh, however, I am certain that when he caught his bookkeeper stealing from his company he was not laughing. I am also sure that when he had to pack up his life and move to an apartment again as a “homeless dentist” ten years into his career, he was not laughing. True to character, he stood up, dusted himself off and began again with a new wife who stood by him as he got back on his feet.

4.) Dream Big

Bruce has indeed gotten back on his feet and a recurring mantra throughout his career has been that he continue to Dream BIG, which he does. Recently, he purchased and re-designed a 5,700 square foot facility here in Scottsdale. I have been to see Bruce’s new office and I am impressed. As he walked me around and showed me the new space that is filled with state-of-the-art equipment, I was inspired by his ability to keep dreaming big and continue to grow his practice and himself. As we stood in the yard, he pointed to the outside area that he and his wife Colleen plan on designing as a common outdoor space. The space is a bare desert now but I have no doubt that Bruce will make it a gorgeous, relaxing outdoor space for all to enjoy in the area.

5.) Focus on Being of Service

One would think that after having such a bad break that caused him to lose a home and financially start over that Bruce would be more concerned with profit than anything else. Not the case. He is a man on a mission, after all. It impresses me that Bruce still remembers that if you focus on being of service and you offer quality care then the profit will absolutely follow. It is good to know that as a dentist, Bruce still puts his patients care and experience first!

Thank you so much Bruce for taking the time out to be one of the Fearless 13!

Note from the Artist:BRUCE’S ILLUSTRATION STORY:

Coincidentally, Bruce and I both attended the State University of New York at Albany at the same time. I am sure we have been in the same room before for one college experience or another. We lived in the same area back East where it is cold, gray and so not the sunny Arizona we now call home. One of the things that struck me about what Bruce said regarding his first visit to Scottsdale was how he felt when he saw Camelback Mountain. I felt that same way as I drove up Scottsdale Road from Scottsdale into Cave Creek, when I first visited Arizona on April 14, 2009. As I drove up that road and looked at the landscape and the cactus, a calming peace come over me. I knew I would live here. It was an instant knowing. I believe that we have places we are supposed to be in order to live out our life’s purpose. Bruce and I share this feeling about Arizona. We both intuitively knew that this was the place to start over and build our dreams. Bruce also focuses personally on Cosmetic Dentistry. As I shared in the blog, recently Bruce did a presentation for our BNI Chapter BNI Business Leaders of North Scottsdale (BLoNS). His wife Colleen is our President and she promotes Pima Dental. The amazing pictures he showed us on how he is able to improve someone’s teeth combined with a video of a woman responding to seeing herself in the mirror, just after Bruce had finished her procedure, left an impression on me. She had saved for several years for this transformation and to say she was pleased with her investment would be an understatement. If you have a cosmetic dental issue, your teeth are a big deal to you. Teeth are emotional. So I knew I needed to focus on teeth being the biggest element. As I flipped back and forth between images of Camelback Mountain and perfect mouths I realized…. WOW, Camelback not only looks like a camel lying down, it also looks like an upper lip. So there you have it. I also thought that Bruce would appreciate the humor in this idea. That is the simple story of this illustration.

Work was shown from December 18, 2015 – January 04, 2016 at {9} The Gallery

Entrepreneurs and inspiring stories of all kinds are Fearlessly Deliver’s muse and focus. As an artist, a business woman and a visual journalist Michelle Micalizzi paints with a purpose. The Fearless Art Projects are collaborative social practice art engagements that connect art + business + community.

THE ART OF FEARLESSLY DONG BUSINESS is an unprecedented and unique project celebrates the fearless entrepreneurial spirit by highlighting thirteen unique and fearless business leaders.